Walmart (NYSE:WMT) Stock Price Up 0.4% – What’s Next?

Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) shot up 0.4% during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $91.85 and last traded at $91.14. 2,315,842 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 10,690,208 shares. The stock had previously closed at $90.81.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Walmart from $88.00 to $92.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 18th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on Walmart from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Walmart from $80.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 18th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $94.08.

Walmart Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $747.35 billion, a PE ratio of 38.18, a PEG ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The business’s 50 day moving average is $90.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.29.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 19th. The retailer reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.53 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $169.59 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $167.69 billion. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 2.92%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Walmart Inc. will post 2.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Walmart

In related news, EVP John R. Furner sold 13,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.60, for a total transaction of $1,215,375.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 566,794 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $52,485,124.40. This represents a 2.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Daniel J. Bartlett sold 2,065 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.69, for a total transaction of $166,624.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 457,493 shares in the company, valued at approximately $36,915,110.17. This trade represents a 0.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 140,412 shares of company stock valued at $12,478,116. 45.58% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Walmart

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Walmart by 77.3% in the third quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 399 shares of the retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Hoese & Co LLP bought a new stake in shares of Walmart in the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Hara Capital LLC bought a new position in Walmart during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. 26.76% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.